Urgent review after dingo drags baby from Fraser Island campervan

The third dingo attack on Fraser Island this year has sparked immediate action to boost ranger numbers and contact with visitors amid criticism of the state government's existing approach.

Rangers will be increased 50 per cent and face-to-face contact with visitors will be bumped up following a review into the dogs.

A 14-month-old boy has undergone surgery after being attacked by a dingo.Credit:ninevms

The moves came after a 14-month-old boy was dragged by the neck from a campervan and left with a fractured skull and head and neck punctures.

A dingo had snatched the boy and was heading towards bushland when his father heard his toddler's receding cries in the early hours of Friday morning.

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Paramedics said his father, fighting back, had grabbed his son from the dingo's jaws while he was surrounded by a pack.

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The baby was recovering after undergoing surgery in Queensland Children's Hospital.

The improvement on dingo safety came after calls from within the local community to boost education for tourists and to open an official information centre at Eurong.

Others are demanding a dingo cull although there is no data on the number of native dogs in the township.

The Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation - the island's native title holders - issued a statement on Friday saying the attacks could have been avoided.

"To the family affected by this tragedy it is our deep regret that this has happened, and we send our sympathies," a spokesman said.

"It is our regret, because the BAC has been kept at arm’s length from the government’s dingo conservation and risk management strategy on K’gari [the traditional name for Fraser Island] and its associated awareness campaigns, since gaining our native title rights in 2014."

The statement called on the government to put in place "joint management arrangements" with the Butchulla people.

"It is time that people are more accountable for the actions - Wongaris [dingoes] should not besacrificed for human error or inciting interaction," the statement read.

Several other Hervey Bay and Fraser Island residents did not want to see the animals destroyed over fears there would be negative consequences for the ecosystem.

Save Fraser Island Dingoes spokeswoman Cheryl Bryant said this year had been a disaster for the community, with three attacks on people and two dingoes being euthanised as a result.

"It's been a terrible start to the year," she said.

"It just goes back to people not doing the right thing.

"Visitors are coming into their territory, feeding them and taking photos of them on a daily basis so dingoes are now conditioned to approach people and see them as a food source."

Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said the ranger boost would begin immediately during the remaining Easter and Anzac Day holiday periods.

“Our thoughts are with the little boy and his family who have been through this tragic ordeal,” she said.

A toddler was been flown to hospital after he was dragged from a caravan by a dingo on Fraser Island. Credit:RACQ LifeFlight Rescue

“The extra rangers will ensure all visitors to the island are remaining vigilant and following the dingo-safe messaging.

“The implementation plan was due to be reviewed later in the year, but I have asked theDepartment of Environment and Science to review it as a matter of urgency."

Ms Enoch said it was time to review the dingo risk assessment plan to determine whether more work needed to be done to improve visitor safety.

“The continued safety of visitors to K’gari is a priority," she said.

"We want to ensure all the actions the government undertakes in relation to dingoes is based on the best available science and advice."

The implementation plan outlines aims to reduce conflict between people and the native dogs and increase communication and education. It's designed to ensure people comply with rules such as not feeding dingoes and assess the various measures.

Ms Enoch said the government was committed to supporting a healthy dingo population while minimising the risks to human safety and dingo welfare.

Ms Enoch said she hoped to further involve the Butchulla people with dingo management to keep residents and the 400,000 visitors to the island each year safe.

“The review of the implementation plan will also look at whether any improvements can be made to messaging around dingo safety to ensure visitors and dingoes can co-exist harmoniously on K’gari," she said.

Rangers who continuously patrol areas step-up their presence during holiday periods, such as the Easter long weekend.

Following the most recent attack, rangers had been visiting campsites to speak to visitors.

Two French tourists were flown to hospital after an encounter last month, which led to two dingoes being euthanised. A nine-year-old boy suffered face, arms and leg bites and his mother was bitten on the leg after trying to flee from a pack of dingoes.

People are encouraged to report any negative dingo encounters to a QPWS ranger or to phone 074127 9150 or email rangers as soon as possible.